Envelope



:May 18, 1937. v. HEYWOOD 5 ENVELOPE Fild July 1, 1955 lmen ro'r Vmcenr fiHeywoo cl Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE fleld, Masa, a corporation of Maine Application July 1,1935,Serlal 110.293

' Claims. ((1229-80) handling, also has its seal flap so disposed that a portion thereof can be readily seized and pulled out for the specific purpose of sealing. The above and other advantageous features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a rear view of an envelope with adhesive applied thereto in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 illustrates the preliminary folding and tucking in of the seal flap preparatory to packing, without registration of the gummed areas.

Fig. 3 shows the envelope of Fig. 1 in a sealed condition.

Fig.4 is a sectional view along the line H ofFig. 2.

like reference characters refer to like parts in the different fi u es.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the envelope utilized for the purpose of embodying the invention is shown as being of a usual form with a front wall I, seal flap 2 and? rear wall 8 constituted by side and bottom flaps folded over and adhesively secured together in overlying relation, the upper edge of the rear wall I providing a notch l for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. In the manufacture of this envelope, correspondingly shaped bands of adhesive 5 and 8 are applied to the seal flap 2 and rear wall 3 respectively, it being noted that the adhesive bands or coatings are symmetrically disposed with respect to the score line 1 between the flap 2 and the front wall I. The adhesive used for the bands 5 and 6 is of such a character that said bands when dry will adhere to each other upon nonmoistened contact, although they will not adhere to uncoated areas of the material of which the envelope is made. Preferably the adhesive. for the bands or coatings 5 and 6 is applied in the form of a dispersed 'rubber solution, or as natural or compounded latex, the invention also 55 contemplating the use of other similar dry-sealing adhesives in the form of thermoplastics, such as arclor resins or galyptols, either alone or in combination.

In the manufacture of my improved envelope,. the seal flap 2 is folded back upon itself along a 5 score line 8, as indicated by the dot and dash line, and the thus-folded flap 2, by virtue of its other fold along the usual score line I, becomes tucked in behind the rear wall 3. The envelope then appears as shown in Fig. 2, with the gummed 10 apex portion 2a of the seal flap projecting above the notch 4. The envelope is then ready for being packed in the usual manner in standard size boxes, without any possibility of inadvertent adhesion between the adhesive areas 5 and 6. Nor is there any possibility of the flap 2 becoming displaced. in ordinary handling of the envelope after it has been removed from its box.

when it is desired to use the envelope, the apex portion 2a of the flap 2 is seized and pulled 20 out into its original position as shown in Fig. 1, so that after insertion of the closure in the envelope it can be sealed by folding down the flap 2, as shown in Fig. 3. This brings the adhesive 5 and 6 mm exact registration, so that the seal- 25 ing is completed by "merely exerting pressure on the overlying adhesive coated areas. The adhesion between the sealflap and envelope body is such that the envelope cannot be surreptitiously opened, as by steaming, due to the waterproof nature of the adhesive. Furthermore, any attempt to separate the flap from the envelope by pulling will inevitably result in pulling the gumming from one or the other of the paper sur- 35 faces, or in tearing of the paper itself.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an envelope which does not require moistening in order to seal it, the envelope being so constructed that 40 the adhesive coated areas which are adapted to adhere .when engaged with each other are positively maintained out of engagement in advance of the actual sealing, thus permitting the envelopes to be packed in the usual manner without possibility of inadvertent adhesion.

I claim:-

I. An envelope having its seal flap and rear wall provided with corresponding areas of adhesive having the property of sticking to itself upon non-moistened contact, characterized bytucking a previously folded portion of the seal flap between the front and rear walls of the envelope to. maintain the adhesive thereon out of register with theadhesive on said rear wall, said rear wall 56 I being cut away to expose the folded portion of said seal flap.

2. An envelope having its seal flap and rear wall provided with corresponding areas of adhesive having the property of sticking to itself upon non-moistened contact, characterized by preliminary folding, ,of they adhesive coated ;portion of the seal flap 'upo'n itself and the disposal of the folded portion of the seal flap between the front and rear walls of the envelope, said rear wall being envelope body.

2,081,052 4. An envelope having its seal flap and rear wall provided with corresponding areas of dry-sealing adhesive, with a portion of the free edge of the rear wall cut away and with said seal flap being folded upon itself and tucked in between the front and rear walls of the envelope to maintain said dry-sealing adhesive areas out of engagement for packing 'andLto present a portion of said folded seal flap above the cut away edge of said rear wall and below the edge of theenvelope body.

5. an envelope having a flap extending from one wall and a portion of the free edge of the opposite wall cut away, said flap and said cut-away wall providing similarly shaped areas of dry-sealing adhesive and said flap being folded upon itself and tucked in between said envelope walls to maintain said adhesive areas out of engagement, with a portion of the folded flap projecting above the cut-away edge of said wall.

VINCENT E. HEYWOOD. 

